1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a replaceable SCA (single connector attachment) drive adapter board for use in a remote disk drive carrier that is removably received in a computer storage enclosure or chassis. The SCA drive adapter board may be quickly and easily replaced to minimize down time and repair to the disc drive carrier as a consequence of SCA drive interface connectors wearing out following many insertion/removable cycle of the carrier to and from the chassis.
2. Background Art
With the advent of personal computers and workstations, it is often necessary to remove the medium on which computer data is stored. For example, it may be desirable to remove a storage medium so as to be carried to a different site and/or to a different computer system. It may also be desirable to remove the storage medium to a secure location when the computer data stored thereon is particularly sensitive or secret. To accomplish the foregoing, computer storage media (e.g. disc drives) are affixed to carriers that are removably received within a storage enclosure or chassis that is located remotely from a host computer. The removable disc drive carrier is simply pulled out of its chassis on an as needed basis. Either the original disc drive carrier or a different carrier can be returned to the chassis. This insertion/removal cycle of the carrier usually occurs numerous times throughout the workday.
As will be known to those skilled in the art, each time that the disc drive carrier is inserted within its chassis, the disc drive affixed thereto must be electrically interconnected with a host computer by way of a plurality of interface connectors. In fact, ribbon cable commonly runs from a disc drive to terminate at a disc drive interface connector which must be mechanically coupled to a complementary disc drive interface connector within the carrier. As a consequence of the repetitive connect/disconnect cycles to which the disc drive interface connectors are subjected during the corresponding insertion/removable cycles of the disc drive carrier, one or both of the complementary (e.g. male and female) interface connectors wears out.
Accordingly, the removable carrier will experience down time whenever it is necessary to replace the disc drive interface connectors. Because of the large number of connect/disconnect cycles to which the interface connectors are subjected over time, the conventional removable carriers and the disc drives associated therewith are frequently out of service while awaiting repair. What is more, the ribbon cable used to electrically connect the disc drive to an interface connector within the carrier typically consumes a relatively large amount of space which increases the size requirements of the carrier.
A replaceable SCA (single connector attachment) drive adapter board is disclosed below to overcome the aforementioned inefficiencies associated with the short life expectancy that characterizes commonly used drive interface connectors so as to reduce the down time of the disc drive carriers with which the interface connectors are associated. The SCA drive adapter board is removably attached to the rear of the removable carrier within which a computer disc drive is affixed. A (e.g. female) SCA drive interface connector is mounted on a first face of the replaceable SCA drive adapter board. This drive interface connector on the adapter board is detachably coupled to a complementary male (e.g. male) SCA drive interface connector at the back of the disc drive. A (e.g. male) SCA backplane interface connector is mounted on the opposite face of the removable SCA drive adapter board. In the installed configuration, with the removal disc drive carrier returned to a chassis that is remote from a host computer, the backplane interface connector mounted on the adapter board is detachably inserted within a complementary (e.g. female) SCA backplane interface connector that is affixed to the backplane of the chassis and interconnected with the host computer via a plurality of host interface connectors. When the disc drive carrier is removed from its chassis, the male SCA backplane interface connector mounted on the replaceable SCA drive adapter board is pulled out of the female SCA backplane interface connector.
The detachable coupling between the complementary SCA drive interface connectors mounted on the first face of the replaceable SCA drive adapter board and on the disc drive eliminates the conventional use of long ribbon cable within the disc drive carrier. Thus, space consumption within the carrier will be advantageously reduced. In the event that the SCA backplane interface connector that is mounted on the opposite face of the replaceable drive adapter board should wear out as a consequence of undergoing repetitive connect/disconnect cycles with the complementary SCA backplane interface connector, the drive adapter board is simply removed from the rear of the disc drive carrier and discarded. A new SCA drive adapter board having fresh drive interface and backplane interface connectors at opposite faces thereof is quickly and easily returned to the disc drive carrier and coupled to the disc drive. Accordingly, the disc drive carrier is advantageously returned to service after only a short down time and with only minimal repair requirements (i.e. to remove and replace the SCA drive adapter board).